Press Releases

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) issued the following statement regarding funding in the Fiscal Year 2017 Omnibus Appropriations Act to bolster Puerto Rico's Medicaid program:

"Puerto Rico is facing a healthcare crisis of historic proportions that is of Washington's making. Because Puerto Rico receives a lower reimbursement rate than the states, the island's healthcare system is rapidly running out of money.

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) spoke on the House floor regarding the pressing need for Congress to approve funding to address Puerto Rico's Medicaid shortfall. The text of her remarks is as follows:

"Mr. Speaker, while my Republican colleagues take their sweet time passing a bill to fund the government, Puerto Rico is watching its Medicaid funds evaporate.

"In this package, we must provide sufficient resources to address this shortfall – from the funding authorized under the ACA – that is already owed to the Puerto Rican people.

Washington, DC –Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released the following statement after a court stayed the President's Executive Order to block funding for cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities:

"New York has made clear that we will not be an accomplice to implementing anti-immigrant policies that tear apart families and sow fear in our communities. Today's ruling is a positive step toward reversing this unlawful Executive Order, which we will continue to resist through every available avenue."

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Washington, DC –Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) has written to New York Police Department Commissioner James O'Neill, praising the Department for declaring certain parts of Chinatown as "permit free zones."

Velázquez's district, New York's 7th, includes Manhattan's Chinatown.

"The community at large supports the Precinct's actions," the letter reads. "I encourage such efforts to continue, as the benefits are exponential for local business and police-community relations."

The full text of the letter is below.

April 24, 2017

Calls for Meeting with CEO

New York, NY –Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) today wrote the following letter to the President and CEO of United Airlines. The letter is also available online here.

April 12, 2017

Mr. Oscar Muñoz
President and CEO
United Airlines
233 S. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606

Dear Mr. Muñoz:

I am writing to express the profound dismay of my constituents regarding the incident on United Express Flight 3411 on April 9.

Washington, DC –Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released the following statement regarding the military strike in Syria:

"The use of chemical weapons in Syria must be condemned in the strongest terms. There is no moral or legal justification for those atrocities.

"I do have concerns that additional U.S. military action could inflame the conflict and further destabilize the region. The President owes Congress and the American people a clear explanation of what his strategy is moving forward.

Measure Would Expand Capital Options for Growing Firms

Washington, DC – The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) that would help funnel investment capital to fast growing startups. As the Ranking Democrat on the House Small Business Committee and a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, Velázquez has long made entrepreneurs' access to capital a priority.

Washington, DC- Today, seventy-four Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) urging immediate action to prevent the nearly 1 million residents of Puerto Rico who rely on Medicaid from losing their coverage.

Puerto Rico's Medicaid program receives a lower reimbursement rate than Mainland states and as a result relies on a temporary federal supplemental grant which is set to run out by the end of this year.